Outdoor advertising offers a wealth of opportunity for innovation, inspiration and the use of nature itself to create an effective promotion. Billboards in particular offer lots of space and options to promote companies, products, and services in eye-catching ways. From using witticisms, environmental initiatives and actual products, there are tons of options to convey your advertising message.

Here are five examples of great outdoor advertising and the stories behind each.

Sioo:x Wood Protection

The text reads, “This is the world’s most boring billboard. We’re going to leave it here for 12 years, just to show how long our products last.”

Sioo:x Wood Protection and advertising agency Stendahls created this disarmingly simple yet effective example of outdoor advertising. Sioo:x creates a 100% environmentally friendly product that protects outdoor wood surfaces and provides a natural silvery-grey finish. The major claim to fame? The product lasts for twelve years. This inspired the design of the billboard, which is made from real Sioo:x-treated wood. The triple-sided billboard is booked for a whopping twelve years to prove the ability of the product to withstand the elements in Sweden!

Engineering for Life

Engineering and planning firm Ramboll is responsible for this clever outdoor billboard. At first glance, it looks like a fairly straightforward advertisement on the side of an office building, but is really an environmental feat! The cupped hands on the billboard from Garbergs advertising agency are cupped to hold birds, which frequently land here. In the winter, scarce resources for local birds in Sweden means the population dwindles — but not if Ramboll has something to say about it! The cupped hands conceal a clever birdseed dispenser, which means birds that land here are guaranteed a meal.

We can’t imagine a better way for Ramboll to demonstrate their commitment to the environment!

The Dream

This meaningful example of outdoor advertising in Atlanta is designed to pay homage to Martin Luther King, JR. Specifically, the messaging behind the simple but impactful billboard is a celebration of his life and the dream that inspired a nation.

The dream began with his birth in 1929, and lives on today, even past his death in 1968.

Handicap International

Not all great outdoor advertising strategies need to be on a billboard, as Handicap International and the Herezie group in Paris, France realized. In order to bring awareness to the long waiting lists for prosthetics, Handicap International made the daring move of outfitting the broken statues in Paris’ parks with prosthetic parts, as well as small informational signs.

The clever advertising ploy encouraged a double look for the passerby and valuable education on the issue.

Summer With Ikea

IKEA made light of the brief summer months in Belgium with a series of outdoor advertisements encouraging viewers to enjoy the brief period of summer and sunshine! The majority of the billboards are dark, stormy skies with a sliver of sunny skies and summery furniture arrangements from the retailer.

IKEA uses a clever play on humor and making fun of Belgian weather to make an impact.

Postmates Outdoor Advertisements

This saucy advertisement created by 180LA agency in Los Angeles is a great example of using a stop-and-stare! the tactic in outdoor advertising. Postmates delivery service superimposes wry text over a faint picture of a Moscow Mule and ties it to having vodka delivered to you.

A nod to the political drama of Russian interference in the 2016 election may take a moment for readers to process, but the resulting giggle and shock value will make readers consider Postmates twice.

Interested in more creative outdoor media examples? Check out our other article on some of our favorite Outdoor Advertising Ideas.